Health-related Workers Research Articles

The role of intermediaries in connecting individuals to local physical activity – protocol for a pilot feasibility trial

BackgroundIntermediaries are health-related workers who facilitate connections to local physical activities. Intermediaries deliver interventions by receiving referrals, conducting assessments, connecting referred individuals to activities and/or services in the community, and following up with them over time. However, it is unclear whether individuals who are referred to physical activities by an intermediary improve their physical activity levels, and what their perspectives and experiences are of participating in this intervention. To date there has been a lack of studies investigating the effect of this intervention on physical activity using appropriate outcome measures. MethodsThis will be a mixed methods pilot feasibility study. Participants will be individuals referred or self-referred to an intermediary and connected to local physical activities. Participants will be recruited through two types of intermediary services in Ireland; social prescribing and local sports partnerships. A total of 30 participants will be recruited (15 per service). Baseline demographic information will be taken upon enrolment to the study and three questionnaires will be completed: the International Physical Activity Questionnaire - Short Form, Self-Efficacy for Exercise Scale and Short Warwick Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale. The questionnaires will be repeated after 12 weeks and in addition semi-structured interviews will be carried out to explore intervention content and delivery, as well as acceptability of the intervention and evaluation design. DiscussionThis overall aim of this proposed study is to investigate the feasibility of an intervention delivered by an intermediary to improve physical activity and health-related outcomes of community-dwelling individuals. RegistrationClinicalTrials.gov (NCT06260995).

Psychological workplace injury and incapacity: A call for action

The financial cost to workplaces associated with mental health conditions is considerable. Consequently, this article explores the last two decades of Australian data pertaining to work-related psychological injuries, work capacity and benefit/compensation pathways. The presented data highlights the increasing costs and duration of mental health-related workers’ compensation claims, indicating a steady intensification of the complexity or severity of psychological injury claims. Equally, psychiatric conditions form the largest proportion of longer-term incapacity benefits received in the working population. This article then considers why there has not been reduction in rates of work-related psychological injury, and moreover, why are workers who functional recovery appears to be worsening in recent years. Firstly, despite regulatory reform, there is little practical direction available to guide preventative change, as such, establishing an evidence base for effective tools to mitigate workplace psychosocial hazards is critical. Secondly, an increased focus on workers who are already unwell is urgently needed. Multi-component work interventions, upskilling managers, and rehabilitation-focused treatments have demonstrated effectiveness and require considered implementation. Finally, at a policy level, it is important to redress aspects of the Workers’ Compensation Scheme that may be impeding recovery.

Supporting the Journey Home: The Process of Co-designing an Education Program to Strengthen Palliative Care Capacity in First Nations Communities

In Ontario, Canada, several training programs have been created to improve home-based palliative care in First Nations communities, though they primarily focus on meeting needs at end-of-life. Therefore, education focused on incorporating an early palliative care approach for community health-related workers is necessary. To address this gap, we tested the CAPACITI curriculum with 12 health care providers working in First Nations communities across Ontario, 11 of which were members of a First Nations community, and engaged them in a collaborative process to co-design an education program that they felt was representative of First Nations values and culture. The co-designers were trained as nurses (n=8), personal support workers (n=2), a social worker (n=1), and a physician (n=1). We met with them for 12 weekly one hour sessions. They completed a workbook of questions and recommendations to tailor the education to a First Nations community context. We incorporated these recommendations into the new education by reviewing existing material, making notes of suggested changes, and adding new content. We redesigned the education according to several themes: incorporating culture, recognizing First Nations health care workers and knowledge, and approaching education wholistically. The resulting program, Supporting the Journey Home: Growing the Community Bundle to Care for those with Serious Illness, gives First Nations health care providers practical resources to operationalize an early palliative care approach with community members. To our knowledge, this is the first study to describe the co-design process of an existing palliative care education program with First Nations health care providers.

COVID-19 and Sick Leave: An Analysis of the Ibermutua Cohort of Over 1,651,305 Spanish Workers in the First Trimester of 2020.

Objectives: The worldwide SARS-COV2 pandemic has impacted the health of workers and companies. The aim is to quantify it according to sick leave.Methods: Using ICD-9 codes, we analyzed Ibermutua records of all sick leaves during the first trimester of 2020, compared to during the same months of 2017, 2018, and 2019. We stratified the analysis by causes, patient sex, activity sectors, and regional data. All sick leaves were adjusted by the number of Ibermutua-affiliated persons in each period.Results: In March 2020, there was an unprecedented (116%) increase in total sick leaves, mainly due to infectious and respiratory diseases. Men and women were equally affected. All activity sectors were impacted, with the highest increase (457%) observed among health-related workers, especially due to contagious disease. The incidences of sick leaves were heterogeneous among different regions. Cost-analysis of sick leaves during the first trimester of 2020 compared with in previous years showed 40.3% increment (mean 2,813 vs. 2,005 € per 100 affiliated workers).Conclusions: The SARS-COV2 pandemic is having a huge impact on workers' health, as shown by data regarding sick leaves in March 2020. This is associated with greater economic burden for companies, both due to the cost associated with sick leaves and the losses in productivity due to confinement.

Emotional distancing in nursing: A concept analysis.

Emotional distancing was introduced as a means of coping with emotional labor. It safeguards healthcare workers from difficult emotional interactions with patients. It also provides caregivers with an escape from emotional exhaustion, compassion fatigue, and burnout. This paper aims at defining emotional distancing by identifying its critical attributes and empirical use. A literature search was performed using applicable medical and health databases not merely restricted to the medical or nursing fields to understand the concept's true nature. "Emotional distance," "emotional distant," "emotional distancing," "emotionally distance," "emotionally distant," "emotionally distancing," "emotions [MeSH Terms] distance," "emotions distant," and "emotions distancing" were utilized as keywords and controlled vocabulary. Walker and Avant's method was utilized as a comprehensive review of the literature to clarify the meaning of emotional distancing. Antecedents, characteristics, and consequences of emotional distancing were obtained systematically. Based on the analysis, emotional distancing is a self-controlled defensive strategy involving emotional separation from patients to maintain neutrality. Emotional distancing can enable health-related workers to protect the mental health of nurses while also providing best nursing care to patients. This helps reduce emotional labor and maintain nurses' professionalism. Further research is needed to develop a specific tool that can identify the circumstances and how healthcare workers can implement this strategy in practice. Emotional distancing is an important term that requires conceptual analysis as a coping strategy to protect the mental health of nurses while also serving the best nursing care to patients.

Malaria control under the Taliban regime: insecticide-treated net purchasing, coverage, and usage among men and women in eastern Afghanistan

BackgroundScaling up insecticide-treated mosquito net (ITN) coverage is a key malaria control strategy even in conflict-affected countries [1,2]. Socio-economic factors influence access to ITNs whether subsidized or provided free to users. This study examines reported ITN purchasing, coverage, and usage in eastern Afghanistan and explores women's access to health information during the Taliban regime (1996-2001). This strengthens the knowledge base on household-level health choices in complex-emergency settings.MethodsFifteen focus group discussions (FGDs) and thirty in-depth interviews were conducted with men and women from ITN-owning and non-owning households. FGDs included rank ordering, pile sorting and focused discussion of malaria knowledge and ITN purchasing. Interviews explored general health issues, prevention and treatment practices, and women's malaria knowledge and concerns. Seven key informant interviews with health-related workers and a concurrent survey of 200 ITN-owning and 214 non-owning households were used to clarify or quantify findings.ResultsMalaria knowledge was similar among men and women and ITN owners and non-owners. Women reported obtaining health information through a variety of sources including clinic staff, their husbands who had easier access to information, and particularly female peers. Most participants considered ITNs very desirable, though not usually household necessities. ITN owners reported more household assets than non-owners. Male ITN owners and non-owners ranked rugs and ITNs as most desired, while women ranked personal assets such as jewellery highest. While men were primarily responsible for household decision-making and purchasing, older women exerted considerable influence. Widow-led and landless households reported most difficulties purchasing ITNs. Most participants wanted to buy ITNs only if they could cover all household members. When not possible, preferential usage was given to women and children.ConclusionsDespite restricted access to health facilities and formal education, Afghan women were surprisingly knowledgeable about the causes of malaria and the value of ITNs in prevention. Inequities in ITN usage were noted between rather than within households, with some unable to afford even one ITN and others not wanting ITNs unless all household members could be protected. Malaria knowledge thus appears a lesser barrier to ITN purchasing and coverage in eastern Afghanistan than are pricing and distribution strategies.

Training primary health care workers about drugs: a national survey of UK trainers' perceptions towards training

Reports have consistently shown that non-specialist drug workers (whose working role is not specifically concentrated on dealing with drug-related issues) are reluctant to work with drug users. A number of explanations have been offered to account for this unwillingness including attitudinal factors, occupational constraints and a lack of motivation to learn about drug-related issues. Previously, it has been shown that training affects commitment to working with substance misusers, although failure to attract particular professional groups (e.g. general practitioners) into training courses has also been reported. No previous research has examined the views of trainers about training primary health care and health-related workers. This study of a (non-probability) sample of UK drug trainers (n = 145) assessed training activity for different health care workers, and trainers' differential perceptions of training needs and methods. GPs were the group least likely to become trained about drug issues. Training in attitudes towards drug using individuals was perceived to be more important than either skills or knowledge training for GPs, practice nurses, other nurses and probation officers. Experiential training methods were perceived to be more important than a didactic approach for training all health groups except GPs for whom lecture type instruction was believed to be equally appropriate. Seventy-nine percent of subjects reported providing training across drugs in alcohol or drugs, alcohol and tobacco. Most trainers who stated that certain professions required independent training believed that GPs should be trained separately from other groups.